PRIME MINISTER:
Morning. Well this morning in Isurava we stood on what was in 1942 the hinge of faith. Australia’s freedom dependent on the courage, endurance, mateship and the sacrifice of those few Australians and Papua New Guineans who stood together and held back the Japanese advance. Three times the Japanese sought to take Port Moresby, rebuffed in the Battle of the Coral Sea, held back on the Kokoda Track, rebuffed again and defeated at the Battle of Milne Bay.
Here we have the largest number of Australian war dead than any single war grave cemetery. We have two VC winners, Private Kingsbury you saw where he died, at Isurava, Kingsbury’s Rock, taking a Bren gun, heedless of the risk to his own life, to clear a way for his mates, clear the Japanese from their path. And Corporal French, similarly heroic in the battle of Milne Bay another vital turning point in the war. These men and one woman, Sister Craig, who are buried here, all of them died so that we may live.
Without their sacrifice we would not be the free nation we are today nor would PNG be the free nation it is today. This shared sacrifice, this shared heroism, this endurance, this mateship, this is what kept us free. We honour them, we thank them and as we look down the valley from Isurava we stand there on a turning point in the war. A point at which a hinge of fate which had the battle gone the way, had their courage not been enough, had their mateship not been resolute enough the Japanese would have taken Port Moresby and Australia would have been under the most direct and imminent threat. So this is a solemn place, it’s a momentous place. It’s a place where we should remember that sacrifice and we should remember too that right now in 2017 the descendants of these men and woman are today defending Australia’s freedom around the world and especially in the Middle East.
We always honour these veterans, these veterans, we honour these men and women best by defending, supporting the soldiers, sailors, the airmen, the service men and women of the ADF of today and the veterans and their families. They stand in harm’s way today just as these men and women did 75 years ago
JOURNALIST:
How does this experience make you feel about your responsibility as Prime Minister to those serving members?
PRIME MINISTER:
There is no greater responsibility for a Prime Minister, for a Government, than when we send our young men and women into harm’s way. We do so with the wisest leadership, the best provisions, the best capabilities so that they are going to be able to do their duty, fulfill their mission and mission accomplished return home safely to their families. That is the heaviest responsibility of my role as Prime Minister and of every Government from the beginning of our nation’s history.
JOURNALIST:
Do you have any further briefing on the situation in Syria? Have you had a briefing this morning for instance on that situation? Is there any concern about retaliation by the Assad regime or any need for further action to take out more chemical weapons?
PRIME MINISTER:
I’ve spoken to the Defence Minister and the Chief of the Defence Force just a short while ago. The situation is unchanged, at this stage we are awaiting a response, waiting responses. The message has been sent swiftly and appropriately to the Syrian regime that it’s criminal conduct in using chemical weapons against the people in Idlib Province is utterly unacceptable. The American response, President Trump’s response, was swift and just as I said yesterday we support it. So we wait now, is leadership from Russia who is the sponsor of the Syrian regime to work with the other nations, the other powers involved in this conflict of course the United States is the other, is the greatest power connected to this conflict to bring this shocking war to an end.
We need as President Trump said, all civilized nations to work together to bring this war to an end.
JOURNALIST:
Our aircraft fly over Syria, and in fact one of them is charged with virtually coordinating military aircraft in the Syrian airspace against collision with Russian aircraft [inaudible]. What’s your assessment on how the risks have changed for our aircraft flying in that airspace in the last day?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well it’s in the end interests of both Russia and the Coalition forces to ensure that aircraft movements are deconflicted, as indeed they were prior to the attack on the Al-Shayrat airfield yesterday. We expect that self-interest, mutual self-interest will continue but again this is a rapidly evolving situation and as the CDF and the Defence Minister and I said yesterday, obviously we take a, as events change, as the situation evolves we will ensure that our forces are given the necessary increased levels of protection as that’s required.
JOURNALIST:
Just to be clear on that Prime Minister, sorry, because Russia has signaled it wants to end that airspace cooperation of all nations, is that your understanding, is that hasn’t happened or?
PRIME MINISTER:
I won’t comment, I don’t want to say more than I need to on this as you’ll understand. But I am at this stage I expect the confliction to continue because it is manifestly in the interests of all parties.
JOURNALIST:
PM about 18 months ago when we were in Turkey you were talking about the need for a political solution to Syria. Do you see that as still being possible with, amidst sort of such actions that Trump took? It wouldn’t jeopardize a political solution? Can you do both I guess is what I’m asking?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well ultimately there has to be a political solution nobody argues about that. But as long as the parties to the conflict and in particular the Assad Government is prepared to commit crimes of the type we have just witnessed in the last few days then the only response to that, the only swift response to that has to be a military one.
Now the lesson that the line that President Trump has drawn here is demonstrated that the United States will not tolerate war crimes of this kind, of any kind, in Syria. This chemical weapons, the Assad Government gave a commitment not to use chemical weapons. It said it had abandoned them. Now they’ve broken that commitment. There has been a swift and just response and now it is up to the Security Council, it’s up to Russia in particular to bring this conflict to an end. They have the leverage over the regime if the great powers engaged in this conflict, both the global powers and the regional powers worked together then peace can be found.
JOURNALIST:
But can there be a political solution with Assad?
PRIME MINISTER:
As I said yesterday, the continued role of Assad must be under enormous question. I have grave doubts as to whether he can have any continuing role in the settlement. The crimes that he’s committed against his own people are so, so enormous and of course now so recent. It is difficult to see how a political solution can be crafted that has him with a continuing role.
JOURNALIST:
He’s got to go is what you’re saying?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well that is our assessment but this is clearly a resolution that needs the cooperation of a large number of parties. Let me put it this way, President Assad sought to have a continuing role after a political settlement, his actions, his criminal, horrendous actions - gassing his own people, women and children, babies - that surely disqualifies him for a continuing role.
JOURNALIST:
[inaudible] facing a war crimes trial for those crimes?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well those who commit war crimes should always be held accountable.
JOURNALIST:
PM you're here in PNG that the country received the most amount of Australian foreign aid, you had some Coalition MPs at home calling for a suspension to all foreign aid to be re-directed to efforts in Queensland. Is there any merit to that suggestion?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well we are a generous and responsible foreign aid donor and it is a very important part of our international diplomacy, it’s a very important part of our role as a responsible and effective global citizen.
The floods in Queensland have been shocking and indeed in New South Wales, as you know I’ve been to both states in very recent times. We have substantial relief, always has been, paid by the Commonwealth Government and State governments for disaster relief. Obviously there has been more paid to Queensland than any other state because it gets hit hardest and regularly by cyclones and floods, and so it will be again. So we understand, all of us, all Australians understand with heartfelt compassion the tragedy and loss that we see when nature flings her worst at us but as I’ve said to you before. When nature flings her worst at Australians it brings out the best in Australians.
And can I just conclude on a moment of reflection, from the debates of today. 75 years ago Australia was unprepared to defend itself. All of our best soldiers, all of our trained soldiers were abroad. Militiamen, Reservists in effect, were sent here to defend the Kokoda Track. These men with very little training rose to the occasion and kept Australia free in the most horrific conditions. In jungles they had never encountered, in mountains and gullies that had not been mapped. They were supported by the Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels, supported by the Papuan Infantry Battalion, supported by the men and women of this country were able to hold back a huge and experienced battle hardened Japanese Imperial Army.
This was an extraordinary achievement of arms, the victories here; Coral Sea, Milne Bay, on the Kokoda Track. We would not be the free nation we are today, we would not enjoy the liberties perhaps we too often take for granted had it not been for the heroism of the men and the woman buried here and thousands more like them. This was when the Japanese advance was halted, that hinge of fate saw us, our freedom saved by these heroes. Thank you.
[ENDS]